Death of a Magician
by Character Limit
Summary: A mysterious man seeks out Evangeline, looking for training. Who is he, and what will happen to him? Action with some drama, and little romance. Strong and explicit violence.
1. Chapter 1

As the sun began to set on Mahora Academy, a lone man strolled on an empty street. He hoped to intercept someone that he wanted to meet. Although just a teenager, his eyes already shined with a dim glow. That glow did not speak of happiness and being carefree. That glow spoke of something else.

That glow spoke of death.

As the wind swept through his unkempt black hair, the man's blood-red cloak ruffled behind him. His footsteps idly traced their way through the empty street. Although he had a destination, he had no set time to get there, so he moved slowly along the paved bricks. As he approached his destination, it became clearly visible through the faint mist. As he approached the wooden house, a girl with long antennae-like spikes on either side of her head approached him.

"I am afraid to say that this is private property; outsiders are not welcome without permission," she said, with a strangely human-like voice that contrasted with her robotic nature.

The man looked at her for a second before replying. "I am sorry to intrude, but I wish to speak with Evangeline-san." He was pleased to see that his reply visibly surprised her for a second.

"Evangeline-san? Are you from the Academy? I do not recognize you…" The robotic girl then stopped speaking after hearing a voice behind her. A young feminine voice.

"So you wish to speak with Evangeline? Well, I do not think she wishes to speak with you." As the robot girl stood aside, a young blonde could be seen. She was quite clearly Caucasian, and carried in her eyes a cold cruelty. "Explain yourself and why you would wish to see me."

The man smiled. He had at least reached his destination, after a long search. But he had to make sure that he was correct.

"You are the Evangeline McDowell known as the Dark Evangel, who terrified the world for 700 years?"

"Why yes, yes I am, boy. I assume that you're another bounty hunter who hasn't heard the news yet that the reward is off?"

"No, I'm not. However, I would request a private audience. Out here is too public for the things I'm going to ask, you know?"

Evangeline simply nodded and walked towards the house. After a second, she turned around, noticed that he wasn't following, and made a motion that clearly indicated he should follow her.

He followed the young-looking vampire girl inside the small wooden house. Once inside, you could notice that the house was filled with dolls, some quite creepy. The man found Evangeline sitting in front of a table. He sat down as well.

"I'll make this simple, Evangeline-san. Your current apprentices are not for you. You're evil, they are not, and they ever will be. If you take me on, I will be your true apprentice in all things: magic, deeds, and alignment. I will serve you."

Evangeline considered for a moment before opening her mouth. "What makes you think that I'm willing to take on an apprentice from any foolish boy who finds me? I already have enough of my time split up between the other two. I'll give you one chance, but that's it. If you can find some way to prove to me that you're worthy of becoming an evil mage, I **might** take you on. Might. Now go, before I kill you. I'm not in a very good mood today."

The man knew a dismissal when he heard one. He silently picked up his cloak and left. He was starting to feel hungry anyway. And he knew very well that as soon as he left, Evangeline would follow him. She was a curious girl, he was sure. He'd have never gotten an audience any other way.

The man checked his wallet to find it was empty. Damn, how had he run out of money already? Well, there was only one way to fix that… he darted into a side street and waited for a lone man to pass by. Once the man was near, he pulled out a handgun and approached the man.

"Pardon me, sir, but I seem to have run out of money. Might I borrow yours?" he asked, as he pointed the gun in his left hand straight at the man.

The muggee smiled. "No way you can pull that and not bring the attention of a hundred people here. I refuse."

The man simply pulled his cloak up a bit to muffle his words. "_Magister Niger Igni,_" he whispered. "_Sileto Ballistam_." His handgun began to glow faintly. He then fired four shots, none of which made a sound. As the muggee fell dead, the man walked forward and collected all the money he could. Looking up for a moment, he could be sure that Evangeline watched him. He hoped that that would help his qualifications. With that done, he left, hardly noticing Evangeline swoop down behind him and take the leaking blood of the muggee in her hands. He would not go hungry tonight, and neither would she.


	2. Chapter 2  A Tale of Two Mages

The sky above was dim, now that the sun had set. As such, it provided a beautiful contrast to the well-lit street below. Lamps hung everywhere, and even though it was near nighttime, a great many cafes and restaurants were still open, exhorting customers to enter and partake. The street was also surprisingly crowded for the time. It was through this street that our nameless man walked through, his newly-acquired earnings jingling in his pocket. He soon found a restaurant that he liked, and walked inside. He had visited this restaurant before, and so the employees knew his name.

"Welcome back, Zakiro. Where would you like to sit?"

Zakiro simply smiled and said "the usual spot, please." She motioned him toward the spot he was talking about and he sat down in a seiza position in front of the low table. The table was along a wall, near the back of the restaurant. He liked it this way, because it was almost secluded. And he wanted to be prepared. After asking for a cup of tea to start, the waitress left and he was alone. But not for long. He could soon hear a voice from the front of the store.

"But I'm telling you, I have an appointment with him! Hmm… guess I have no other choice."

After a few seconds of silence, Zakiro soon saw Evangeline walking towards his table. She sat across from him. Immediately, a question rolled out of his mouth, despite the tea cup raised almost to his lips.

"You didn't cause her any permanent harm, did you?"

Evangeline glared at him for a second before answering.

"Of course not, do you take me for an amateur? I've spent hundreds of years perfecting my magic… why do you care anyway? Already turning into a good guy?"

Zakiro chuckled lightly.

"Hehe, I only care because she serves very good tea. Now, for a relevant question. Why are you here? Are you here to accept me as an apprentice, or just because you're still hungry after your last… dinner?"

As Evangeline prepared an answer, Zakiro took a long drink of his tea. It really was delicious, being brewed from a rare variety of mountain herb. It was also expensive. He might have to kill someone else for hotel expenses.

Evangeline spoke as he set the tea down. "Well, as I'm certain you know, I was watching you during your last… deed. You seem to have the idea of magic pretty well handled, at least; but I must say, if _Sileto Ballistam_ is your only spell, then you have a long way to go. So I must ask: do you have a specialty as of yet? Or are you still undecided?"

Zakiro smiled and nodded. "Indeed I do. Fire and gravity magic are my two specialties. Even better when they're used together. But I also have a selection of support spells when I don't want to use the more… flagrant abilities. _Sileto Ballistam_ is just one example. _Addito Gradum Petrae_ is another of my favorites. Obviously, both are designed to be of use with my gun."

Evangeline looked him up and down, and frowned slightly. "Well, I'll tell you this. If you join me, I will teach you to murder those in your way, enslave the innocent… and get you into some proper clothing. Honestly, those clothes are hideous! I'm surprised you're even allowed to wear them… However, what will you give me in exchange?" Saying this, she opened her mouth slightly, baring her fangs. It was clear what she wanted.

And Zakiro knew it. He had known this in advance, of course. "Obviously, regular blood donations will be done. I didn't expect to get this training unscathed, after all. However, I'd also like to ask something else… you see, I don't really have enough money to afford an inn right now… so if you could kindly–"

He was rudely cut off. "No. You should know better than to try to move in with a girl after only meeting her once. There are plenty of alternative methods to make money in this city. Although I'd advise you to keep the killings to a minimum. People might begin to suspect me."

Zakiro sighed. "Very well, have it your way. I happened to bring a small tent with me anyway. Well, considering that our conversation is about done, I'll ju–"

Again, cut off. "No. There's one more thing I need to tell you. Meet me at 10:00 sharp in front of my house. We are going to get you properly dressed… I'll ask Chachamaru to design the clothing. And of course, if you're late…" She bared her fangs again. "I'll just double my fee."

Zakiro again sighed. "Very well, I'll be there at 10. Thank God I brought my watch with me… oh, I should probably tell you. My name is–"

"Zakiro? Yes, I know. Now I'm telling you, be out there at 10:00 or it'll be hard to stand while we measure you…"

Zakiro nodded. "Yes, yes. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go sleep. I will see you tomorrow, Evangeline."

Evangeline nodded before sharply adding "And call me Master, damn it!" An exclamation that Zakiro did hear as he left the restaurant and then the city, finding a clearing in the forest. He set up his small, one-person tent. He was lucky that it was summer, and that he could sleep outside. He had to reconcile that soon though… perhaps enroll in the nearby Academy? No, he remembered. That was an all-girls school. As he lay in his sleeping bag, he discussed with himself possible remedies to this. Unfortunately, none came as he drifted off into sleep.


End file.
